Creative Sanctuary for Women
& "Letters to my Great Grandfather" artist book.
Dear friends, this summer I discovered from my 90 year old Uncle that my Great Grandfather fought in all four years of World War One. He was one of the million plus global majority soldiers who fought with/for the British empire in a horrible horrible war. All I know is that he made it home but didn’t live to meet his grandchildren, my father and Uncle being two of them.
I couldn’t find any more details on my Great Grandfather online though this search led me on a fascinating and very emotional journey into the lives of Sikh/Muslim soldiers in WW1, their villages, their letters and the folk songs their wives wrote longing for their return.
To connect with my Great Grandfather Sham Singh Kular, I decided to write him a letter – by making this book – which has become a precious artefact to me. Connecting us across timelines. I wanted to let him know he made us and our lives possible. During this book making process, Sham Singh Kular visited me in a dream. Maybe he’d be waiting for me to connect with him for all these years? This book is a symbol of my gratitude to him, my remembrance and for all my Great Grandparents (more creative connections to explore) for surviving empire so we could be here/now. All of us. Together.
What a journey this process has been. I speak with my grandparents and great grandparents through the language of stitch and mixed-media art. This process comes first. Words and poetry after.
I am very grateful to the patient and accessible mentorship of brilliant book artist Wanda Hela Katz of @paperpalacequeen 🙏🏽. I’ll be slowly-sharing more about this creative journey over on my instagram if you’re interested.
In other news…the online Creative Sanctuary for Women returns this Sunday 👇🏽 !
Sending blessings, love and solidarity to each and everyone of you. Thank you for reading and sharing my work.
Creative Sanctuary for Women* is back!
Starting *online* every Sunday October 12th 6.30pm to 8.30pm to Sunday 14th December 2025.
Significant. Making regular space for your creativity is more important than ever. Truly delighted to be hosting this online creative space again and nurture creative community. Find more information and booking here. Please do share with anyone who may be interested 🙏🏽
Over Here Zine Fest 2025, Saturday 25th October 2025, Manchester.
Significant! A brilliant zine fest showcasing zines & all things low-fi made by people of the global majority.
My beautiful sister-friends Seleena Laverne Daye and Melissa of Over Here Zine Fest are bringing the fest back to Manchester People’s museum! It’s a wonderfully inspiring day full of good vibes, solidarity, creativity and inspirational zine-makers and zines. This is raw and wild creativity outside of the mainstream gaze or publishing. I’ll be there bringing my dated dance moves alongside my sister and fellow elder-zinester Sheree Mack. And I’ll also be running a free writing workshop, '“Letter to my Ancestors”. See you there!
Dal I love your offerings, but this one especially so. Just prior to visiting India in February my father made a comment about my grandfather. It transpires that he was based in Srinigar in WW2 and fell in love with the culture, apparently he didn’t want to return, even though my uncle had already been born by this point. This was never spoken about openly for some reason (?), and the more I dug the more I discovered. By all accounts he constantly spoke of returning but sadly this never happened. My yatra in February then became something more ancestral with the country than I ever could have imagined. He even sought out someone once back home to show my grandmother how to cook his favourite foods that he had enjoyed. This explains why my grandparents house always had a deep spicy, earthy aroma. No one else was invited to meals on a Saturday because this was the meal he would enjoy, maintaining his passion and link to the culture. Will look at your offering - will be so lovely to be in community with you again.
The book is absolutely beautiful and so rich in narrative